Dragonrider
by TurnerPendragon
Summary: You know what they say about mates? They are equal. Only one can master the lost magic of riding dragons. She could follow the lead. Except, she might not be up to it. LaLu with slight RoLu.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own nothing. This story was just a random thought, so let me know what you think and whether I should continue.**

**Dragonrider.**

_"She always did like tales of adventure-stories full of brightness and darkness. She could tell you the names of all King Arthur's knights, and she knew everything about Beowulf and Grendel, the ancient gods and the not-quite-so-ancient heroes. She liked pirate stories, too, but most of all she loved books that had at least a knight or a dragon or a fairy in them. She was always on the dragon's side by the way."_ Cornelia Funke - "Inkheart"

1. **Take the Pill**

**No one's POV:**

Her heartbeats were growing erratic. With each beat, the world froze, her vision faltered and her body failed to follow the commands. Move, she told herself, yet her knees gave in. Another beat and she lost her focus. She had stayed out too late, partying with her rowdy guildmates. She had stayed out too late and that was the consequence.

God, how she needed the pills right now. She was almost on the brink of crawling on the streets to get them. Luckily for her, there were only a few stairs separating her from the white bottle. Damn Natsu for making her stay a little longer. Damn Mira for pouring her another drink. Damn Levy for distracting her from the clock. Damn them all.

She dropped her keys twice on her attempt to unlock the door. Her fingers were shaking from the lack of the drug, but her breathing seemed to be calmer. As if she knew how close she was to it. The white bottle.

She looked like a mess. Her hair was tangled and make-up ruined. She was sweating heavily and shaking all over her body. Her wrinkled clothes thrown into the image, anyone would have looked at her in distaste. She was ready to throw up.

Although there were no sounds, she felt like the ringing was infinite. She grabbed the white bottle, pushing the huge glass vase she'd bought after their last quest out of the way. It shattered into millions of pieces as soon as it hit the floor, but Lucy could not really care about it. She really needed those pills. Immediately.

The bottle fell, leaving only a few pills on her shaking hand. She popped them in her mouth without looking at them, before leaning against the shelf. It was no medicine. She could not remember when or why she had started taking the pills. Everything was hazy inside her mind. She knew how awful they made her feel, when she could not have them, but they helped. They helped to shut down the voices in her mind.

With a content sigh, she leaned to sit and ignoring the sharp glass cutting into her leg, closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was early morning. The shivers had stopped and besides feeling and looking like crap, she was okay. And being okay was the only thing that mattered.


	2. Letter from Shadows

**A/N: I still own nothing. Regarding the guest review about the poll, I think I might make one, as I'm not sure which pairing I'm going for in the end. However, before that, I ship Lucy with nearly all dragon-slayers.**

**2. From the Shadows.**

Another evening, another two pills, another morning. She knew there was something she ought to do about the problem, but there was no real point, now was there? She would not save the world – they have Natsu for that; and Erza and Mira and Laxus and Gajeel. Plus the guys from other guilds. It was not like what she did had that much of an effect anyway.

Lucy sighed. She was not depressed, although Mira suspected it. Her reasoning was of course love troubles, but the blonde had easily waved it off. She had written several letters to professionals in curiosity to know what was wrong with her, but no one gave her any answers. Then, she'd written to bookworms like her.

Now, a brown envelope laid on her table and she was unsure whether to open it or not. It bore the insignia of Sabertooth, the guild Fairy Tail was not on best terms with. Yes, she'd even written there. Asking for help like a weakling fairy she was. Knowing there was not much to it, she opened the letter and let her eyes wander over it.

_Heartfilia,_  
_thank you for writing to Sabertooth with your concerns. Unfortunately, there is very little I can tell you and what I know, is what I came by during my research on the qualities of dragon-slaying magic or specifically carried out tests for. _

_Firstly, there is no scientific term for your condition. Regarding the symptoms you enclosed with your letter, it seems like you've simply become addicted to the drug. However, the pills you sent me prove otherwise. They contain bits of magic lacrima and an ingredient we could not decypher._

Lucy nodded absentmindedly. Porlyusica had said the same.

_Furthermore, it seems the pills actively react to both air and water, also light and fire. This is certain proof the pills ought to be consumed in less than a weeks time before they dissolve. As you can probably understand, that means someone has to provide you with the drugs weekly._

_Secondly, according to what you described, it is highly likely you are either a dragon slayer's mate who has been away from their other half for too long. Supporting evidence is the current absence of dragon slayers in your guild. On the other hand, the time they have been on their quest is too short for any symptoms to occur. I suggest you take a look into it yourself._

The girl, unaware of the deep blush that had coloured her cheeks, bit her lip and let the letter drop to the table. There was only so much she could hope for, but this young man had given her more information than the best scientists of the country. She picked the letter up again.

_Thirdly, after talking with Rufus, the traces of ancient magic were found. I can only suggest you to look for any information on it and write again, should you come to any conclusions. Although I highly advise you to not address the letter to the guild, but rather myself. Letters from Fairies are not entirely tolerated and will be cast away without a second thought. It was merely a coincidence I happened to pick it up._

Lucy smiled at the kind words he had written. She held the letter tightly to her chest, before dropping it on the table again. She hurriedly stood up and sent another thankful glance to the letter, where only four more words were written in the elegant, yet messy handwriting.

_Yours sincerely,_  
_Rogue Cheney_

A wide grin spread all over her face. Yes, finally something to work on! After a second thought, she grabbed the letter and the pills she had been cautiously carrying along, and sprinted to the guild. There was one more person who knew of her addiction. She had told her best friend everything.

At the guild, she ordered a strawberry milkshake from Mira and sat on her regular seat, waiting for Levy to come. It was still early, but she knew Levy would not keep her waiting. Especially, when she finally had a lead. And as she thought so, the bluenette entered with a smile. She noticed her cheerful friend right away, surprised by the wide smile she was smiling.

"Lu-chan!" she greeted her happily. Lucy nodded, sipping her drink. She gave her friend the letter, saying:"Read it!" rather happily. Levy's eyes scanned the words quickly and soon, a grin spread all over her face as well. She nodded, ignoring the suspicious glances Mira was giving them.

"Is that from a boy?" she piped into their conversation, taking Lucy's empty glass. The girls giggled, knowing the trail of thoughts the matchmaker was having.

"Yes, Mira," Lucy laughed wholeheartedly."It is from a boy." She put the letter in her pocket and before Mirajane could ask any further questions, she had left, dragging her bookworm friend along. When they were at the park, she sat cross-legged and grinned at Levy.

"So you get finally some info and it's from Sabertooth?" the girl confirmed and the blonde nodded excitedly."Wow, that's hard to believe!" She was clueless on what her friend expected her to say, but Lucy seemed to be enjoying the day even without her encouragement.

Lucy stretched and laid down on the grass.

"Man, that feels so good!" she exclaimed. "I feel like I could go on like this for days!"

"Well, unfortunately for you," Levy giggled."You should remember Natsu and the company are coming back today. I bet they'll be here in a few hours." The two weeks they'd been gone away was nearly up. Lucy sighed, knowing her suspicious pill-taking would be discovered sooner than she had wished for, but with a careless sigh, she decided to enjoy the peacefulness for a little longer.


	3. Gifts

**A/N: I still own nothing. Also, please keep letting me know what pairings you'd like to see the most, as then I'll know better how to structure the story up. :) Thank you!**

**3. Gifts**

"We're back!" Natsu paraded the room with a goofy grin. Behind him stood Erza Scarlet, looking angered at something and behind her, Gajeel and Laxus were crawling their way back in. The looks on their faces hinted of annoyance, but Mira still smiled kindly, polishing one of the glasses.

"Nice to have you back!" She said welcoming them. Her eyes peeked curiously through her lashes."How did it go?"

"Ah, that was easy!" Natsu exclaimed, giving her one of his toothy grins."Ne, where is Lucy? Happy and I got her a present!" Mira's eyes widened, hearing the words."I think she'll like it."

"Lucy went out with Levy a few hours ago. I think they'll be at the park," she bit her lip to keep herself from inquiring more about the present.

"Natsu!" Lucy waved from the door. She was breathing heavily, as if she'd been running for miles and Levy was giving off the same expression. Gajeel gave a grunt, seeing the small bluenette struggling, but did nothing to help her.

"Lushi!" Before the blonde could react, the blue exceed had flown straight onto her boobs. Happy hugged her, nearly crying from the feelings seeing his nakama made him feel. Lucy laughed, patting the pet on his head. "Lucy!" Natsu grabbed her into a hug, almost suffocating her. He too was sincerely happy to see her."You won't believe it!" he exclaimed."Happy and I saw a fish this weird! It was almost as weird as you!" He waved his hands around, pretending to be one of them.

"Oy, squid-fish!" another voice interrupted."So you've finally gone bonkers?"

"What did you say, Ice Princess?" Natsu's attention was immediately shifted to the stripping ice mage."You wanna have a go?" Lucy giggled, seeing how it was back to normal again. Erza smiled slightly, waving it off. After all, for once, Natsu had behaved almost sufficiently during their mission and, as she reminded herself, Natsu and Gray had been separated for quite long. They were good friends after all, weren't they?

"Erza!" Lucy greeted her cheerfully, tearing the redhead's attention to herself."It's nice to see you again! I hope Natsu didn't cause too much trouble!" The blonde was equally worried about both of her friends, knowing how much of an unlikely team they formed?

"Oh, he was not a bother. How have you been Lucy?" She spoke politely, smiling rather forcefully. Lucy shivered, but reminded herself how good friends they were.

"I've been rather good, thank you!" She smiled herself and was about to change the topic, when Mira's helpful voice piped up:"Oh, she's doing far better than rather good! Lucy got a letter from a boy this morning!"

Needless to say, this stopped any movement within the guild. The brawling boys turned their heads towards the blushing blonde, who denied the accusations thrown at her.

"Who was it?" Erza demanded harshly, knowing of some bad experiences her friend had had. Lucy shrugged nonchalantly.

"No one," she said, avoiding her eyes. She could not tell how she'd asked help from the rivalling guild, now could she? It was better to keep quiet. Damn Mira for being such a blabbermouth!

"Yeah, Lucy, tell us!" Gray inquired, cracking his knuckles in sync with the boy he'd been fighting against. Both of them had a strange glint in their eyes, as if already planning the murder of the poor lad.

"I.. I told you it's not like that!" Lucy protested, waving her hands in front of her."It was no letter of importance."

"Oh, I see," Natsu shrugged."You should have said that thing first!" He grinned at the spluttering girl, who was trying to explain how she had not even started the topic, and jumped onto one of the stools."Man, I'm hungry!" He rubbed his tummy childishly, earning snorts from all around."Mira, can I get some chicken?"

Lucy elbowed him for the lack of manners and gave the lady an apologetic nod. Mira smiled and got to it, giving the girl another of the strawberry milkshakes along the way. Lucy, surprised as she was, took this chance to take her pills.

"Didn't you say you had a present for Lucy?" Mirajane inquired, putting the plate in front of him and setting the food on fire. Natsu looked a bit confused for a moment, but grinned remembering what the white-haired girl was talking about. He took a huge bite of the chicken leg, before poking through his pockets for the gift.

"A gift for me?" Lucy wondered, eyeing the boy suspiciously. It was not every day Natsu went making presents to everyone. Natsu pulled out a huge winged fish, earning a laugh from Lucy and a hit on head from disappointed Mira. Honestly, what had she expected? Lucy shook her head at the absurdness of her best friend.

"Thank you, Natsu!" she said, grinning."I'll make sure to cook it well tonight!" Her laugh only intensified when the winged cat settled on her shoulders. When Happy began to drool, however, the exceed soon found himself flying through the air with a loud "Kya!"


	4. First imprints

**A/N: I still own nothing. Also, I will open a poll soon, but if you'd like, you could tell me which pairing you'd like to see in next chapter in reviews :) (and yes, they can be the ones I've already written about) I love you guys. Thank you for reading!**

**3. First imprints**

Lucy laughed freely, leaning contently against the table. Everything was as it always was: the guild and it's people drunk in liveliness (and in some cases, alcohol). Lucy too had had a few drinks, but it was the pills keeping her anxious. Strangely enough, the alcohol did ease the body when she'd gone too long without the drug.

She gently swayed to the music coming from the speakers Mira had insisted on buying. She felt good, in control of her own body and after another drink, she exchanged a few words with her guild mates, danced with Levy and her team mates, flirted with some new guys who had joined.. and she was ready to go. Except, then she noticed it.

The sight was very peculiar. There were two more Lucys, talking to each other. Sending nervous glances towards her, the real one, they made no real attempt to engage her in their conversation.

Lucy observed herselves with a drunken smile. One of them looked very little like her. To be exact, she was wearing boyish training pants of high quality and a white tank top under a brown leather jacket. Her hair was cut short unprofessionally and if Lucy had had a clearer mind, she would have made a comment on it. The other Lucy however was an identical copy of the real one, except for her far-too-revealing clothing.

"You see, lunacy is a rather femininish malady," the complete lookalike said seriously. She was holding a glass of red wine in her hands and her posture was very graceful. Lucy decided to call her Lucinda.

"I know, but... You and I both know _she_ has not gone mad," the boyish Lucy, from now on Lucas, mentioned, looking thoughtfully at the real girl. "It's just, she is us and we are her." The real Lucy giggled.

"Stop it, you guys!" she exclaimed with a grin. Lucy stepped forward and slapped the two on their shoulders, still swaying to the music.

Laxus stared at the blondie with concern. She looked like she had drunk a bit too much and was now making a complete fool of herself. Her friends were nowhere to be found. Not that he'd admit it, but it allowed him to stare at her without fear of being caught. **Not** that he was afraid of something like that.

Lucy's cheeks were a healthy shade of red. If he had not drunk, he probably would still have found her quite endearing. He could think of a few things he'd do with her and only her.

But right now, she was like a madwoman let loose. He stood and ignoring the looks of Raijinshu's members, he moved royally, catching everyone's attention. Lucy froze, her eyes staring into his.

The air filled with static. Neither blonde could later tell if it was Laxus' magic or something else entirely, but in that moment, the sparks around them were real.

"You okay, blondie?" he asked, earning a sweet chuckle from the girl. Laxus felt his resistance slowly tumbling down, but he was not ready to give it up just yet. Lucy shook her head. The two hers were not leaving and they were urging her to do something.

"Ne, Laxus," she raised her hand and softly traced the lightning bolt over his eye. Laxus stayed frozen, looking as arrogant as ever. Lucy smiled at it. She knew well that behind the tough facade, there was a truly kind man.

"What, blondie?" his gruffly voice sent shivers down her spine. She shook her head and smiled sweetly.

"Nothing, never mind," she harshly turned, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Lucinda and Lucas were whispering dark, naughty ideas into her mind. She was aware they were fragments of her own mind mocking her, but she could not drive them away.

As she moved away, swaying her hips in a way she shouldn't have, Laxus stared after her and soon followed. Lucy was moving moderately, getting many wolf whistles on the way. It made Laxus boil inside – Lucy was _his_ nakama and he certainly did not like some weak boys going after her. So, as soon as he was close enough, he grabbed her hand.

Lucy turned to face the man who'd joined him in the night air. The chilliness helped her calm down and clear her mind, but the two nasty companions inside her mind were not going anywhere. She made a notion to herself to never ignore the urge to take the pills, even if she was planning to drink. Laxus' grip was strong, but not unpleasant, although she still wondered, why he had followed.

The night air sobered Laxus up quickly. He felt frustration grow in him – why was he doing this? - but he knew he enjoyed it nevertheless. Lucy staggered on the way and with a sigh, he realized she'd fall sooner or later. Roughly, he wrapped his arm around the girl's waist and led the way.

"You're red, blondie," he said after a while. The girl didn't answer, feeling her body get weak again. Instead, she smiled.

When they reached her house, she stopped and turned around, placing both her hands on his shoulders. Her intense gaze made him feel uncomfortable, but she seemed to enjoy staring at him, because she grinned widely. Before Laxus could react, she had planted a small kiss on the corner of his mouth.

With that, the seal was broken and the universe shook. The two Lucys disappeared. After all, there could be only one last dragonrider.


	5. Heart of Courage

**A/N: I still own nothing. Also, thank you for the reviews and reading! Notice: I've opened up the poll and you can see it via my profile page, so you might want to take a look and vote for your favourite of the four pairings: Laxus x Lucy, Rogue x Lucy, Natsu x Lucy, Sting x Lucy. Thank you!**

**4. Heart of Courage**

"It was merely a coincidence I happened to pick it up. Yeah, right," Sting snorted, reading the rough draft over his friend's shoulder."What exactly are you up to?" He snickered at Rogue's pink cheeks. Although he still wore the expressionless facade, Sting knew immediately there was something on his mind.

"Nothing," said the raven-haired lad, writing his letter on."The blond is in a pinch." He didn't mention anything to indicate what kind of pinch she was in.

"Let's drop by!" Sting decided rashly. Letters took a forever to arrive, they'd make it to Magnolia in a few hours. Rogue's cheeks coloured a lovely shade of red and he shook his head, earning a laugh from the white-dragon slayer magic user. However, the boy stayed indifferent towards his friend in the aspect of words.

"You actually know what's wrong with her?" Sting inquired with a yawn. Rogue nodded absentmindedly. Although he knew, he refused to tell her in a letter. Going to visit was also dangerous – if he was right, then any dragon slayer that came in contact with her would suffer of dire consequences.

"If I'm right, her mother was a dragonborn," Rogue explained without removing his eyes from the paper."In which case, she might have inherited the lost magic from her." Sting looked confused, but there was still a smile on his face. He waved over the two exceed who had woken to their talk and were now entering the room. Lector looked as usual and it seemed like the nap had not affected him, but Frosch was rubbing his eyes.

Sting, currently the guild master, greeted them with his usual laziness. He yawned and laid back on the sofa, waiting for Rogue to continue talking. However, the man said nothing and was soon finished with the letter. When Rogue stood, so did Sting, following him, despite the fact Rogue preferred to be alone at times. This time the shadow dragon slayer did not mind.

"What kind of lost magic?" Sting asked, knowing how valuable information it could be. Rogue shrugged, ignoring the question. There was no way in hell he'd tell Sting. That boy would go bonkers trying to avoid her and end up falling in love with her in the process. Rogue knew him well enough for that and for somehow, it was something he did not wish for.

"You must know!" Sting whined, although the smile stayed on his face. It was rare to see him whine, but to anyone who dared to look at him, he stared darkly, frightening away."Or else you wouldn't be writing her!" His accusation made Rogue snort. There was little chance Sting was kidding.

"We'll go to Magnolia soon," the brunette said."Since that quest is coming up" Sting knew he was talking about the strange job they had accepted. It was a bit farther than they'd usually go, but they'd pass Magnolia on their way and Sting had wanted to fight again with Natsu. The fire dragon slayer made his blood boil. Neither had Rogue given up the thought of surpassing Gajeel, but he was smart enough not to voice it aloud.

"You're right," the blond agreed, albeit against his will. Rogue smirked, which was unlikely for him, but it went unnoticed by people who passed them. They were heading to the train station for another job. Although they'd just returned from the union quest with Fairy Tail, they had been occupying every single moment with different jobs. Rogue was certain that the money they'd been saving up would eventually be spent on something else entirely. It should be said, he was remarkably correct about that.

He dropped the letter into the post box near the station and bought tickets. It would be a long ride and certainly an unpleasant one. He could not put into words how much he hated the motion sickness.

* * *

"Lucy-san," it was Wendy who addressed the blond with curiosity."Is everything okay?" Lucy nodded, gripping her head with her hands. The hangover was worse than she would have expected, but she would not admit it to a little girl.

"Just a headache," she muttered, leaning against the table for support. Wendy, careful not to make any loud sounds, took a seat next to her and before Lucy could protest, she had put her small hands on her head, using one of the healing spells she had learned. Poking around to find the source of pain, she frowned, sensing a different kind of magic building up in her.

"A-ano, Lucy-san," she said a bit embarrassed."I don't want to intrude, but... Do you use any other magic, besides celestial magic?"

"Nuhuh," Lucy shook her head."Why?" She felt terribly thankful. Wendy had nearly removed all of the pain."Also, thank you so much!" She hugged the little girl, who shyly hugged back.

"I just felt it in you, Lucy-san," Wendy said."I'm sorry for invading your privacy like that!" She bowed, earning a slight chuckle from the blond.

"Team Natsu does it all the time!" Lucy waved it off with a smile. Wendy blushed by the familiarity Lucy talked about her team. "What kind of magic is it, if you know?"

"It was dragon magic," Wendy furrowed her brows, unsure what to say."A powerful one. It will take a long time to completely train it out." It seemed to be similar to dragon slayer magic, but not quite. Wendy could not put her finger on it.

"Just like Rogue said," Lucy whispered. Although Wendy heard her, she said nothing, but her curious eyes glanced at the worried girl."Thanks, Wendy!" She gave the bluenette a side hug, before hurrying off to Levy to see, if she had found any magics that could fit the category.


	6. Dragon Slayers like Wolves

**A/N: I still own nothing. Thank you for the reviews and follows and favourites! You guys are my favourite people this month! (^-^) Happy Christmas!**

**Sovngarde Awaits - Happy holidays! Thank you for the wonderful question! Unfortunately, I'm not entirely familiar with games and all that (insert an awfully sad and disappointed face, because I'm terribly curious about that stuff), so I had to google to see, how similar (if at all!) they were. Fortunately (or unfortunately), my dragonborn and Skyrim's dragonborn have more differences than similarities. I hope that clears it up :)**

**5. Dragon Slayers Like Wolves**

Levy stared at the text in front of her with her eyes glimmering with excitement and worry. _The manifestation of the powers reaches its high point on the seventh week, when the future dragonrider loses control over their mind and body, _was written neatly on yellowing parchment. The ink had nearly faded, it was luck she was able to decipher it – although a bit too late!

It was Tuesday and it had been over four weeks since Lucy told her about her problem. It was certain she had had the problem for longer and if she could guess it right (and she usually would), it was deeply into the seventh week. However, Lucy had not claimed anything too out of ordinary.

Levy hugged the big book against her chest and sneaked out of the library, knowing this copy was probably one of the rarest books in Fiore. She hurried down the narrow alley to the guild that towered above all. On her way, she noticed Sabertooth twin dragon slayers lurking around, but paid no attention to them, knowing talking to her best friend was far more important.

She entered the guild, panting from running so hard. She looked around and gasped, as a peculiar sight met her. Lucy was there, but she was sitting next to Cana, who kept pouring her drinks and telling her future with the cards.

"You will fall for someone you already know, but don't really know," Cana frowned. The cards were confusing her with the unusual variety of options."Love is in the air and you will be married soon... Or at least get a boyfriend." Lucy giggled, hearing that. Ever since she and the brunette had teamed up for the S-class test, they'd become great friends and Lucy was terribly glad to have one like her around.

"Lucy!" Levy exclaimed happily."I think I found something." Lucy clapped her hands with a grin. Her cheeks were flushed red and when she noticed the next person entering the guild, she quickly made her way to him.

"Laxus!" she greeted him cheerfully, hugging him tight. Laxus, taken aback by the girl, hugged her back, but released her upon the funny looks of his guild mates.

"Ne, Laxus," Lucy stared at him with her innocent eyes glimmering. "Why'd you stop hugging?" She reeked of alcohol and Laxus knew better than to answer. Instead, he walked to Bickslow and Freed who were discussing their new job.

"What's with the bunny girl?" Gajeel muttered, inhaling the scent of his beloved shrimp. However, there was something different in the air. Something that smelled like worry and fear and arousal? He shook his head. No, there was definitely something else. "You smell that too?" he asked as quietly as he could, so that only his fellow dragon slayer guild mates could hear. Wendy, who was at the end of the bar, turned her head towards him and nodded slowly. Laxus muttered a yes in agreement.

It was something ancient and it was driving them all insane. They could hear their beating hearts and when Lucy laughed, it seemed like it could shake the earth. Levy noticed the dragon slayers tense. She thanked the heavens Natsu was not there, because it would have been more difficult to drag Lucy away and knowing the dolt, he would do something stupid for the same reason others were resisting.

"Lucy! Come on!" She demanded, linking their arms together and starting to walk. Lucy obeyed happily, giggling along the way. The afternoon air was abnormally chilly and the blond was starting to sober up. How had she even ended up drinking with Cana? Last she remembered... She let out a dry laugh, remembering how she'd decided to wait for Levy in the guild and when the lack of pills kicked in.

"Lucy, how are you feeling?" Levy asked, knowing the powers were awakening in her friend.

"I'm fine, why?" Lucy questioned, stopping to buy a lollipop. She was staggering and Levy hurried to her in support.

"Just wondering," the bluenette murmured to herself. "When did you start taking those pills?" She couldn't help but ask. Lucy faltered and counted on her fingers the weeks that had passed.

"Eight weeks," she said with a grin. "I'm feeling much better now, by the way.. I don't know what happened, but.."

"Blondie!" a voice interrupted her. Levy turned around before Lucy could and saw Sting and Rogue walking towards them. Panic spread over her face when she stepped forward with her hands spread on the sides.

"Don't come any closer!" she yelled at the boys and Rogue stopped immediately. He grabbed Sting by the ruffs and dragged him behind. He had guessed right. Lucy was the one – he could feel it in the faint scent that lingered in the air, the ancient power that called out to them.

"Why not!" Lucy whined, still not completely sober. She waved at the dragon slayers, who stared at her with indescribable hunger.

"We should go, Lucy," Levy said carefully, trying her best to keep the girl away from the boys. Rogue was resisting, but Sting had fallen completely under the enchantment.

"Lucy," Levy whispered in Lucy's ear, taking small steps backwards."Listen carefully," she didn't take her eyes off the dragon slayers."You are a dragonrider. Right now, every dragon slayer in town is attracted to you. They can't help it. Neither can you. So you have to do the only thing you can to keep yourself alive, because I know you won't be able to live with it if you sleep with anyone today," Lucy's eyes widened in fear."You have to run and get as far from here as possible. Go to Porlyusica and wait there. Now, go!" Levy pushed the girl into an alley, where she started to run. The bluenette turned and smiled weakly at the dragon slayers, ready to be caught in the fight, when a gush of wind blew and took the scent of Lucy with it.


	7. Dragonborn

**A/N: I own nothing. Also, happy belated holidays everyone! ^^ My new year's resolution was to write more fanfiction! Let's see what comes of it! :3 Enjoy! (Don't forget to review too! :D)**

**6. Dragonborn**

"So you've awoken, I see," Porlyusica said to Lucy without happiness. She was frowning at the sudden interruption for her collecting of healing herbs, but when Levy, who had arrived only minutes after the first girl, explained, her mood lightened a little. After all, a dragonrider was not exactly a humanly human. "Did your mother ever say anything about that?"

"My mother?" Lucy was unsure if she'd heard right. Of course, her mother had told her a lot of stories, when she was a child, especially stories about dragons.

"Yes, your mother!" Porlyusica snapped, her patience growing thin."Dragonriders aren't born of pure love and luck!"

Love & Lucky. Lucy smiled gently hearing the words so close to her mother's guild and she recalled a story. Biting her lip, she stared at Levy who was intent to listen and then to Poryusica, who nodded as encouragingly as she would.

"Well, there was this one story," she started hesitatingly.

"Well, go on! What are you waiting for?" Porlyusica huffed and Levy nodded along in agreement, eyes sparkling with interest. So she continued.

_It was when the humans and dragons were living in fear of one another. Despite the raging conflicts, there was a man to walk the Earthland, bringing bewilderment and surprise to anyone who dared to listen on either of the sides. When the fires flamed, his tongue danced with them, telling stories of times of old and times to come. He spoke gently, caressing every word with burning passion. However, there was one story in particular he loved to tell._

_When the flame king of dragons heard of the man, he summoned him. The man introduced himself as Perseus and asked if he could rest his feet. In exchange, he offered to tell a story. The flame king breathed, lighting up the whole world in bright red blaze, before ordering him to._

_"Once upon a time a girl named Melyse was born. When she grew, she soon became fascinated with the strolling players she saw every early November, when they passed by. There was especially a fire eater that caught her eye, because the boy, only a few years older than her, told stories of every place on Earthland. Stories he'd lived to tell."_

_"Come along!" the boy begged her every time they were leaving. But the little princess could not go, for the fate of the kingdom laid on her shoulders. Novembers turned to Decembers, winters turned to springs and after a dreadfully long summer, she could see him again. Over the time that had passed, he'd grown into a wonderful young man and she into a rightful maiden. However, after the neighboring country had declared a war, princess Melyse had been locked up in the farthest tower of the castle._

_Lucas, for that was his name, whistled their tune around the town. He had heard of her awful fate, but refused to believe kind king had turned so shallow. But the princess would not respond. She braided flowers into wreaths, singing songs of worlds she'd never seen. She never saw Lucas again, heard of him no more. She married a man of her status and gave birth to twins she named Lucas and Lucky._

_"What happened to the boy?" the flame king asked, but the storyteller only smiled mysteriously._  
_"He found a way to see her again," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. He stood up and patted his feet. "I must be on my way now."_

_The dragon roared, but the man was not frightened. After all, it had been all in his planning. He stood in the middle of the breath's way. The fire engulfed him, but did not burn him._

_"You!" the magical creature hissed."You thief! What is your name?" The storyteller was wise enough not to speak it, but the dragon knew – he knew it by reading how he sounded._

_"Morgenstern!" he roared the name of a refugee from an unknown land hundreds of years ago. "Curse you and your descendants!" The man only laughed. He had gained the power to withstand the flames. He could now be equal to them, for the stars stood behind him._

_Forged in fire, this storyteller knew well not to be caught in the traps of mankind's powerful enemies and lived long enough to carry on his blood to another. A line of dragonborns was set, of fair maidens and brave knights, carrying on the magic of the purest kind, the daughter of the One Magic._

Lucy stopped. "Is this it?" Levy asked, a bit disappointed. The blond nodded.

"That gave no real explanation!" Lucy exclaimed, although the bluenette shook her head.

"But it did, Lucy!" she objected gleefully. "We now know for certain that your mother could have been a dragonborn! She used celestial magic too, didn't she? And she loved telling stories!"

"The dragon's curse does indeed seem to fall on you," Porlyusica said without hesitation. "All the dragon slayers are crazy enough to kill for you."

"But we can confirm it thanks to that, Porlyusica-san!" Levy suddenly erupted into giggles. "Because they would also unite for Lucy, if she was from the family of dragonborns.. Although Natsu's fire has burned her!"

"How do you intend to do it?" the woman inquired, looking hardly interested.

"Let's talk to the guild master!" Levy said, bubbling with excitement."Make them go on a quest together. We all know some of them will definitely protest!" Lucy seemed to weigh the idea in her mind. She nodded, eventually understanding her part in the game. That would definitely confirm whether or not she was a dragonrider, the last one left.


	8. The King's Will

**A/N: I still own nothing :'( However, I hope you like this story and let me know of your thoughts (^-^) Thank you! Also, the poll will be open until Tuesday, that is 7th January 2014. I can't wait to see the results! :D :D**

**7. The King's Will**

"Everyone!" The loud yell of the guild master was greeted with shocked glances and opened mouths. Makarov didn't show his interest in being very strict, but this time, he looked rather serious. "The Magic Council has asked some of our guild members to participate in a multiple guild quest to take down one of the newest, but fast-growing dark guilds Silver Nightingale."

"Who, master?" Erza asked, standing up already prepared to go to the fight. Makarov looked at her appraisingly. They had thought to tell her, but knowing her acting skills, they decided against it.

"Natsu! Gray!" he grabbed the attention of two bickering men. Erza shot them a dark look."Gajeel! Laxus! Wendy!" he looked around, wondering if he'd forgot someone. "I have also heard the twin dragon slayers from Sabertooth will be coming." He had sent a written request to their current guild master and asked them to take part, not telling them the whole thing was a sham. Sabertooth had answered nearly within no time announcing their attendance.

"There's no way I'm going to go on a quest with these guys!" Natsu exclaimed. By "these guys," he mainly meant Gray, but the dark look Laxus was giving them was scary.

"I could do this quest on my own," the lightning dragon slayer said, standing up. "There's no need for the others to come."

"Laxus!" Makarov said warningly, but Gajeel was absentmindedly nodding along. Wendy was the only one, who didn't voice her opinion out loud, but she looked worried enough, knowing she'd hardly be able to support more than two of them.

"Lucy, would you mind joining the team?" Makarov asked loudly, ignoring the growing yells. The guild fell into silence. The bickering dragon slayers all looked at the blond girl who smiled sweetly.

"Sure, why not?" she chirped. Somewhere Laxus gruffed and that settled things. Mira had started spreading stories about those two and ever since Natsu was restless. Gajeel, however, noticed how Levy had clapped her hands over her mouth. This trip would be a dangerous one, if all the dragon slayers were required, and bunny girl would get hurt. Levy would hate that. Wendy sighed out in relief, knowing she won't be the only girl going. Even though Lucy had a bit different scent, she was still a nice companion.

"Well, then, that decides it. You're setting out tomorrow morning!" Makarov declared and the guild resumed to its activities. Levy, however, leaned suspiciously against the wall in shadows and took note of the reactions of the dragon slayers.

1. Wendy was scratching herself, probably due to nervousness.  
2. Laxus was staring intently at Lucy, eyes darkly hungry.  
3. Natsu was sneaking closer to Lucy in an attempt to surprise her?  
4. Gajeel was...

Levy frowned. It seemed that Gajeel was the only one not doing something out of ordinary. In fact, when Levy looked at his table again, he was gone.

"What are you doing, shrimp?" Levy jumped at the voice next to her ear. There he was! And now, he was holding the notebook she had been so carefully writing in!

"What's that?" he asked, frowning. He understood she'd been keeping tabs on the people in the guild for some time, but this was new.

"Give it back!" Levy jumped, but could not reach it. Gajeel laughed, but threw it back at her, in hopes of getting some gratitude out of the girl.

"Well, whatever!" he shrugged and stalked off. Levy stared at his back, wondering, if it had always been that wide.

* * *

The team set off early in the morning. Lucy was extraordinarily chirpy, despite her worry about the guild they were about to demolish. Silver Nightingale was really there, somewhere lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack. It was better to actually take them out.

They met Sabertooth's twin dragon slayers at the train station, all of the dragon slayers besides Wendy complaining about their means of going there. Lucy shrugged it off, wondering how bad it could really be. The sky dragon slayer cast Troia over the group members, although it weakened her greatly.

The battle was fierce. Each and every dragon slayer was up to hundreds of magicians. There was barely any difference in their strengths and Lucy, against a number of dark guild members, knew something was not going to change, unless something happened. She sent back her spirits and called out only one – Gemini – in order to wipe out all the enemies she was against.

Then she felt it. A giant hand coming down and hitting her. The battle that took place next to a cliff froze for a moment.

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed, running towards the giant that had swiped Lucy off the arena. At the same, similar yells could be heard from other team members. Lucy felt her consciousness slipping. Everything that happened, had happened like it should have. She was sure of it. Then why...

"I can't let you die right away," Gemini whispered, taking the form of the falling girl, grabbing her arms as they twirled around. Lucy opened her eyes only to see they were frozen in one spot of falling.

"You know, being a wizard is not about being strong!" a voice bellowed. Lucy had never heard it before, but the royalty of it was not a doubt. "I will give you a choice! Choose wisely."

The girl waited, barely able to open her mouth. Her eyes were fixated on the still-raging battle.

"What does being a wizard mean to you?" the voice roared and in Lucy's eyes focused a powerful dragon, lit in flames. He was breathing on her skin, her hair – everything burned. She heard someone cry out, but it could have been she herself.

"Everything," she finally managed to utter. If only she had strength to be equal to them – it had been a mistake to send her on this quest, hadn't it? If only she was able to stop it all.. The voice laughed. Even the sound of it was powerful.

"Very well," it said. In a moment, she was falling again.


	9. A Dragon's Flight

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: The result of the poll was a Laxus x Lucy pairing, but as the Rogue x Lucy pairing was nearly there, I've decided to write this story as a LaLu with slight RoLu and perhaps later work on pure stories of RoLu and LaLu each. Enjoy! (And if you find the first part of the story very confusing, thank you. This was the point I was trying to make.)**

**8. A Dragon's Flight**

Time rewound. Thunder bellowed and Lucy felt her body froze as if Gray had decided to attack her. An ancient clock ticked loudly away inside her mind. She shrieked in fear of finally going mad. However, the piercing pain hit her hard and she curled up, trying to keep the fire inside her from getting out. Her back erupted and magic oozed out of it like blood. Lucy screamed.

The wings spread from the wound and this time, she could not hold back her tears. They glistened on her pale skin, but her eyes were fixed on one face in the crowd.

Natsu had frozen on the spot, staring at her. His eyes were wide and he seemed to be in the middle of telling her something. "What?" she wanted to ask, but no sound came out. She moved her mouth like a fish.

Only then she realized she was falling no more. She was floating, no flying. She had wings? But that made no sense! She shook her head, dizzy from the pain, and reached carefully out her fingers to touch her back. She brought it back almost immediately, feeling the familiar zap of electricity. Her eyes flew to Laxus, who like Natsu had his eyes fixed on her.

There was something strained in his eyes and Lucy wondered why. She spread the wings carefully, but there was no need. They clapped once and created a wind so strong Wendy had to swallow most of it to save them all from blowing away. The blond girl turned her head and gasped in fear and admiration.

There were indeed wings, but for such a petite body, they were far too enormous. Scales covered them and they were wired, buzzing loud enough to ward off enemies. Lucy admired them and spread her arms to catch her balance. The wings kept her in air, nearly unmoving, but she felt the power leaving her body. There was no way she had that much latent magic in her. It had to come from somewhere else. She realized it fast enough.

Lightening magic. The only magic to give off electricity in her companionship and the only person to use it was Laxus.

Lucy turned her eyes to him the moment an enemy's blade grazed his arm. The girl let out a scream, before descending - although not as the most graceful flier, she ended up more falling than flying - to the earth. However, the wings didn't disappear. Lucy fell to her knees, from fear and desperation. If her wings stole power from others stronger than her - she would have agreed to fall into pieces. She'd rather die than let her friends be killed because of her.

Everything happened too fast, she realized, falling face forward, unsure why she was doing it. She felt drained and her back ached terribly. "Laxus," she murmured, scared he might have got otherwise injured.

"Lucy-san, hang in there!" She heard stand out from the voices whispering. There were too many sounds. Everything quiet stood out almost painfully. Lucy kept her eyes closed and allowed herself to drift into the darkness.

"You okay, blondie?" was the first thing she heard after waking up. She opened her eyes and rubbed them to clear her vision. She was in the ... and on the bed beside her sat Laxus, fixing up something like a bandage on his arm.

"Yeah, I think so," Lucy said."How did I..?" Before she was able to finish her question, memories came flooding back. "I used your power," she whispered, peeking through eyelids to see how angry he was. Laxus shrugged it off.

"No big deal," he said, staring at her curiously.

"Did Levy.." she started, but Laxus shook his head no, before she could answer. Awkward silence fell between the two and Lucy decided to sit up. The movement was blindingly painful and she was surprised to feel two strong arms on her shoulders.

"You should stay down," the young man said and Lucy relaxed immediately. His faint smell soothened her. She sighed in contentment.

"So what was it?" he asked, voice indifferent. Lucy didn't answer. Seeing how she wasn't going to reply any time soon, he stood and laid his brownish coat over the motionless body, tucking her in. Without saying a word, he left.

Lucy breathed in deeply.

"Laxus-san is very kind, isn't he?" a sweet voice said and the blonde smiled. "He has been waiting for you to wake up, although his cover was to change his bandages," Wendy said, raising the coat up a little. "Let me see your wounds."

Lucy allowed Wendy to get close to her, noticing how her whole upper body was in bandages that were coloured red by now.

"These wounds are really weird, Lucy-san," Wendy admitted, deciding to not remove them. "Gray-san had to freeze them so that we could get them tied up. Everyone was really worried."

"I'm sorry," Lucy whispered. She didn't dare to move and Laxus' coat gave off the strange comforting warmth she'd been missing ever since her mother died. The warmth spread. Her fingertips tingled and like wires, the warmth found a way to the wounds. Blood dripped from the bandages and she hurriedly sat up, head dizzy.

"There is no curse more awful than the one of dragonriders," she heard Levy say, but she didn't entirely understand. She felt the meaning of the warmth, her body mending itself. When she was ready the slashes on her stomach and back had nearly fixed themselves, she removed the bandages.

Her stomach was covered with skin-like scales, so tiny you'd probably not notice them. Although they were beautiful, Lucy realized with dread how little protection they gave from her insides, if the strange wings were to burst through her body again.

Levy ruffled her hair sadly, before sitting down. Lucy was drifting again, hand on half-removed bandages. Wendy stared from the corner of the room, feeling the call of the sleeping woman. Her heart was beating erratically.


	10. At Levy's

**A/N: Still own nothing. Also, Enjoy!**

**9. At Levy's**

When she came round next, Laxus was once again there. He was staring at her and Lucy felt intimidated by his intensive gaze. His coat was still covering her.

"Morning, blondie," he said tersely.

"Hey, you're blonde too!" Lucy exclaimed softly. She was warm and comfortable under his coat. She didn't want to return it to him.

"You've been sleeping for days," he noted, when the girl slowly sat up. She was surprised there was no pain.

Lucy combed her hair with her fingers and felt the dirtiness of them. She felt self-conscious all of a sudden, Laxus was still looking at her.

"Here." the man awkwardly pushed a glass of water in her arms. The girl blushed, bringing it to her dry lips. The water running down her throat made her realize just how thirsty she was.

"What happened?" she asked, taking small sips. It was hard not to drink it all at once, but she managed. Laxus turned away from her, as he spoke.

"Your magic linked with mine," he said, shoulders tensing. "It started draining me off-guard. How in Edolas did you do that?" he sounded angry.

"I honestly don't know," she said quietly. There was a silence between the two.

"Levy said you're a dragonrider," Laxus said, breaking the awkwardness. He turned back to her, eyes void of emotion, but Lucy found herself easily getting caught in them. "An artificially created one. My condolences."

So Levy had told them. Lucy sighed in relief. That meant she didn't have to do it. She removed the coat from her and handed it with a simple thanks to Laxus, who accepted it wordlessly.

Lucy looked around. There was no one else in the room, besides her and Laxus. It seemed he was babysitting her. The man noticed her trail of thoughts and stood up, draping the coat over his shoulders.

"Come along," he said, taking her by wrist. His grip was firm and Lucy looked at it with a small smile. Then she turned her face to his. A smile was on his lips as well.

He led her to Levy's dorm, where the bluenette immediately sent her to shower. She barely dared to glance at the mirror. When she did, she wondered how Laxus could stay silent about his horrible looks. She was still covered in blood.

He had probably seen worse.

Lucy washed herself carefully. Swiping the blood off from the new skin on her stomach and back felt strange. The scales were now almost invisible, but under her fingers, she knew they were there. Some were soft as feathers, some rough like Laxus' hands. They melted into her skin.

She got dressed quickly and exited the stalls with a contented smile. She entered Levy's room, which looked as tiny as before, and was surprised to see Laxus still there.

"He refused to leave," Levy shrugged and handed a cup of hot chocolate to the girl, who had entered. She was reluctant in doing so, eyes peaking at books judging their safety.. Lucy nodded and took a sip.

"I did some research," Levy explained, when Lucy had sat down next to Laxus. The boy unconsciously wrapped a hand around her shoulders. Lucy did not mention it, listening to her friend with immense curiosity.

"Rogue helped me with it and he was right about the pills. Thanks to him, we know for sure you were fed the one and only lacrima of dragonrider magic," she said bitterly. "Apparently, it was the doing of an ex-counsellor, who stole the lacrima and decided you had enough latent magic for that. Luckily, you did," she stopped and let Lucy think about it. "But your body is far too fragile for this kind of magic. Originally, all dragonriders were strong men with powerful magical abilities by tradition. That is, before they died out." Her eyes switched to Laxus for a moment and then back to Lucy's. "Magical powers you don't entirely have. That's why your body used Laxus as a power source. Because he was the one with most probable magic for a dragonrider."

From the corner of her eye, Lucy saw the man look smug and content with himself. She smiled gently, finally acknowledging his hand on her body.

"But your body was very injured in the process of using this magic," Levy said. "It went out of control. Fortunately for us, you only wiped out the enemies, but there's no guarantee for the next time. You're literally a grenade waiting to blow up." She looked regretfully into the eyes of her best friend.

"Well," Lucy grinned half-heartedly. "That just means I have to toughen up, doesn't it?" Levy smiled, relieved how her reaction was not as panicky as she had expected. "Somehow, _someone_ has to make a man out of me," she giggled, clinging to Laxus' hand. When he looked at her, frozen on spot, she winked at him. Only then he realized where his hand was, but he couldn't remove it now that Lucy had noticed it before him. He put on his most arrogant face and said indifferently: "I doubt anyone wants to train you. You whine too much." Lucy frowned.

"Thanks," she giggled, letting go of him. Levy grinned, seeing how Laxus' eyes almost immediately flew back to the girls. "I know at least Natsu won't turn me down," she added almost as an afterthought. Laxus snorted, but it was evident on his face that before she could ask Natsu, she would have to get past him.

"Sorry to burst the bubble for you, but it's the guild master that gets the fun of choosing your trainer," It was Erza, standing in the doorway. She was desperately trying to hide a book behind her, face red. Lucy's mouth fell open, but she distracted the boy next to her nevertheless.

"Hey, Laxus," she said, forcing him to look at her. "Why are you so against training me?" She was surprised how much she enjoyed the feeling of his beautiful face against her cold fingers. Laxus was dazzled by the sincerity in her eyes.


	11. Proposals

**A/N: School was hell. I still own nothing. Enjoy!**

**wolfko - Unfortunately, with the poll closed, I can't accept your vote. But worry not! It is possible to write a story with rivalry and jealousy ;) For that, I decided that the second one with the highest votes (which happened to be RoLu) to be one. Also, when the story is nearing it's end, I might do another poll about the final pairing. Hope it's good with you! :)**

**10. Proposals**

Lucy was not given any details about her trainer, but when Happy came flying towards her house, she had an idea it would be Natsu. Her bags were hurriedly packed and she was almost ready to go. She only used a little perfume, before picking up the bags.

"Change of plans!" Surprisingly, Erza arrived before Happy. Lucy shrugged it off: it wouldn't be too shocking, if the exceed caught a whiff of fish. "The master said you should come to guild. Sabertooth's Rogue wants to see you."

"Rogue?" Lucy questioned, putting on a beautiful necklace she had bought a few months ago. With a bright smile, she turned around and grabbed her keys, heading out after the redhead.

"Did he say what he wants?" she was skipping down the street, looking curiously around. Even after all this time living in Magnolia, she loved the sights.

"No," Erza replied tersely. Lucy nodded thoughtfully. "But he did mention a way to strengthen you."

"Really?" Lucy grinned. She would expect no less from the mysterious man, who'd replied to her. "That's nice to hear!"

They had reached the guild and Lucy followed her friend in. She was greeted with a blizzard and loud voices. "Gray!" She heard Erza get mad, followed by the gulping of a certain ice mage.

"What happened?" Lucy asked from Mira, who handed her a strawberry milkshake, as if having predicted her entrance, although in truth, Wendy had mentioned her arrival.

"Gray-san and Sting-san had an argument," said the dragon slayer with a meek smile. She turned around and waved over the other part of the twin dragons and said. "Rogue-san, Lucy-san is here."

"I've noticed," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. Lucy blushed and looked away. Mira's eyes sparkled gleefully.

"Lucy, will you marry me?" a voice from her behind froze everything and everyone in the guild. Lucy turned slowly around. Half-naked Gray was kneeling there. In his arms was a bouquet of flowers made of ice. They were beautiful, covered in frost and they seemed so fragile. Lucy gasped at the beauty of them. It was as if all of winter had been gathered in the shimmering blue roses.

Rogue put his arm in front of her and pushed her gently away, his eyes furious.

"What is the meaning of this?" Erza asked darkly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Gray, your clothes!" She sounded like the lack of his clothes was the more important problem there, but for the first time, Gray made no attempt to try and cover himself up, noticing he was still wearing his underwear, and continued gazing at the reddened blonde.

"If anyone is going to marry Lucy, it's me! I'm her best friend!" a pink-haired boy interrupted. His fists lightened up with fire and he looked ready to attack. "You wanna go, ice princess?" Again, Gray didn't react and had only eyes for Lucy. It was Erza, who knocked Natsu on his head.

"What was that for?!" Natsu exclaimed, rubbing his head. His eyes were woozy, but his sense of smell helped clear his head up. Erza was looking happily at the scene before them. "Oi! I asked you something!" He couldn't believe he was being ignored so simply.

"Um, Gray, what are you doing?" Lucy asked, looking straight to his eyes. Gray blinked

"I'm proposing to you," he said like it was the easiest thing to read from his actions.

"I see that," Lucy giggled, but in a moment, she became serious again. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Gray shot back, but before he could give his answer, a man bellowed over them all: "I wasn't done with you!" Sting was angry and his magic was raging. The light dragon's strong emotions got the best of him and he destroyed the bouquet Gray was so carefully holding.

"The flowers!" Lucy cried, ignoring the fact how a whiff of magic had barely missed her. Gray reacted within seconds and attacked back and soon, everyone in the guild joined in.

The blonde swinged herself over the counter and tried to take cover, but luckily for her, someone took a firm grip of her wrist and pulled her along to the safety. Lucy sighed in relief, when they exited the guild through the back door. "Thanks!" she said, turning to her saviour and was surprised to see it was not Mira like she had believed.

"No problem," Laxus shrugged with a smirk. "I think Erza's idea was rather stupid for this time."

"What?" the girl shrieked and glanced at the guild in shock. "Erza's?!"

"Why, yes. She concluded the safest way to get you out of the trouble of dragon slayers kicking you around and ending up hurting you was to marry you off, before the imprinting starts," he said carelessly. Lucy stared at him in shock and he leaned closer to whisper in her ear: "Except, she didn't know it had already started." His breath tickled her earlobe. Lucy bit her lip, but the blush on her face was betraying.

Laxus chuckled and moved away. He gave Lucy an approving once-over and turned around, walking away in his arrogant manner. It took a few moments for Lucy to gather herself, but when she did, she yelled: "What imprinting? What are you talking about?" The man laughed loudly from afar. "Laxus!"

She shook her head. Even if Laxus walked out on all of their conversations, she would both love and hate him for his ridiculous hints. She brought a hand up to hide her growing smile.

"Was that Laxus?" she barely heard Mirajane say. For the answer, she could only nod.


	12. The Moon Shines For You

**A/N: I own nothing. Enjoy! :)**

**11. The Moon Shines For You**

Lucy was sick of everyone treating her like she was a glass doll. Although it was all Erza's plan's fault, the blond could not blame her for the misfortune that came falling down on her. It was a late evening and everyone in the guild was drinking, even the team currently guarding herself. She was glad for that and draped a dark cape over her shoulders. She covered her head with a hood, looking carefully around in case someone noticed her. No one did.

She blended to the shadows, walking towards the door. When she exited, she breathed happily the light air of night. It was getting colder. She kept her face hidden and started walking towards her home, calling Plue out midway to home. She kept glancing behind her, certain she'd heard the steps of another, but no one was there.

She checked over her shoulder once again, no one there, but when she turned again, she nearly died from fright. "Laxus!" she cried. "You scared me!" She put a hand to her heart, hoping it would calm down quicker, if she did so. The boy stepped out of her way and waited until Lucy started walking again, he following next to her.

"What brings you here?" she asked, hiding her face deeper into the hood. "I thought you were out with your team."

"I was," he admitted tersely. "Just caught a whiff of you." He didn't see the need to lie to her, unlike other dragon slayers who kept pretending they met her on the street "by chance" or offered her protection, although she kept claiming she could do a fine job by herself.

"Oh," she replied dumbly. She smiled to herself. Laxus noticed the curve of her lips hidden in the shade and stared at it wordlessly. They kept walking in silence. Lucy threw another glance behind her back. Again, no one was there. Laxus, noticing her strange behaviour, breathed deeply in.

"Don't move," he said quietly, pulling the girl closer to him. "Close your eyes." Lucy did as he ordered and shocking the young man, hugged him tight, hiding her face into his chest.

"Got you," he whispered, kissing her hair. Lucy opened her eyes wide and tried to push him away, but no luck. They stayed in the embrace for some more time. Laxus breathed in her lovely, intoxicating scent and Lucy dared not move in fears the electricity running down her spine would cause serious damage. It didn't occur to her that it was not Laxus' doing at all.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered, letting her go. Lucy stepped back on wobbly legs and admired the handsome man before her. The moonlight danced on his hair, making it look even blonder and spikier. She stifled a giggle.

Laxus raised a hand and pulled off the hood of her cape. Lucy's skin was paler than it had been before, certainly the fault of malnourishment of an energy-needing body. "Has anyone told you how sickly you look these days?" he blurted, earning a shocked look from the girl. "Do they even feed you?"

"I can feed myself, thank you very much," she answered sharply. Laxus chuckled and ruffled her hair that shone like all the stars in heavens had nested in it. He put his hand in a pocket and brought out an energy bar that he threw at her. Lucy couldn't react fast enough and the bar landed on the ground. The girl picked it up with a sigh.  
"It's not like you need to diet," the boy muttered. Lucy spared him a smile.

"Thank you, Laxus," she said kindly, reading what was written on the bar he'd given. It was unfamiliar to her, but what she gathered, it was high in calories and had a quick energy-restoring quality. It had probably cost a lot. Laxus shrugged it off.

"You shouldn't be walking around alone," he added. It was rare he spoke so much in her presence and she loved it now. Hearing his voice helped calm her reckless heart.

Suddenly, he pulled her closer again and this time, Lucy heard a loud sequence of curses coming from his mouth, followed by a hiss from somewhere a bit farther. The girl froze in fear, recognizing it. "Cobra," she muttered with anger. How could this be? Only then she remembered he, too, was called out by her. This was truly a curse.

The poison dragon slayer flicked his tongue. His eyes glinted dangerously and he looked terribly pleased with having found the girl. Albeit the moon made his ears look fairy-like, the pointedness of them scared her more than she wanted to admit.

"I can hear your fear," he hissed with a widespread grin. "Come here, Lucy, and I'll make it quick." His sharp teeth taunted her and Lucy gripped her companion's arm. Laxus smiled at that.

"What do you want, Cobra?" he lazily asked. Cobra sent him a look containing same feelings and shrugged.

"Just wanted to see the blondie here," he replied with boredom evident in his voice. "And tell her, the world would be much easier a place to live in, if she weren't around."

"Tell me about it," the girl muttered to herself. Getting even a night's sleep was a feat these days with Natsu and Sting competitively crashing at her place. She couldn't believe it. She'd asked Rogue and Erza many times to help her keep them at bay, but even those two had hard time keeping an eye on the frustrating duo of fire and light.

Cobra flashed her another smile, having heard of her. "I might as well lend you a hand in that," he hissed, before turning to go the way he'd come. Laxus took Lucy's hand, as the girl contemplated the hidden meaning behind Cobra's words. They walked hand in hand, Laxus tugging her fingers roughly to make her look at him. When Lucy did, his eyes promised her to keep her safe.


End file.
